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September 30, 2009 16:37  by Kris Abel

Motorola In Car Speakerphone

From their offices in Toronto today, Motorola unveiled their latest hands-free solution, a bluetooth in-car speakerphone that is simple to use, affordable, and can manage its own on/off switch. The Motorola T-325 In-Car Speakerphone is expected to hit stores in Canada in mid-October for approximately $89.95. It is similar to other "speakerphones" or "speakerboxes" on the market in that it clips onto the sun visor and wirelessly connects to the driver's cellphone to deliver a speakerphone experience similar to what is found in offices and board rooms. Motorola's T-325, however, is designed for new users, offering an oversized call button, highlighted microphone, and an accelerometer that allows the phone to detect when the driver's car door is opened, triggering it to automatically power on and connect for use. Similarly, when the driver gets out of the car and leaves, the speakerphone will detect the loss of signal and power down, meaning that the user never has to remember to turn on or off the device for use. [More]
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September 30, 2009 15:37  by Kris Abel

Hands Free

This morning the Ontario government finally set a date for their announced ban on the use of hand-held devices for drivers. The law will start first with a three-month educational period beginning on October 26th and then move into full effect with police writing tickets on February 1, 2010. For many, the new law’s mixture of legalese and technical jargon is confusing. Many of you have written to me asking to explain the difference between “hand-held”, “hands-free”, “wired”, “wireless” and how specifically does the ban handle talking, texting, typing, dialing, and e-mail. Here’s my answer.

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September 30, 2009 09:06  by Kris Abel

Zune Video Marketplace

At Microsoft’s annual holiday preview I gained a glimpse into a number of new online services coming this fall to the Xbox 360 including a new system for watching movies and TV shows that will work even if your Xbox 360 didn’t come with a hard drive (the Arcade bundle) and the very first steps designed to connect video games with the worlds of Facebook and Twitter. [More]
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September 30, 2009 07:35  by Kris Abel
A viral ad commissioned by skateboarding manufacturer Freeboard, this create clip shows a number of skateboarders in San Francisco, each wearing a wireframe hat lit to form a puzzle piece from the video game Tetris. As the participants skate down a hill, the night time view from up top reveals a game of Tetris, where the falling pieces do their best to lock in place. Clever, and very, very tricky to pull off. 

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September 30, 2009 07:20  by Kris Abel

Titanium Chef

Here's a game I tried to feature yesterday, but due to high traffic levels, was forced offline. Today, it's back up and running, hopefully it will remain that way for awhile. Titanium Chef is an addictive online adventure commissioned by the BC Dairy Foundation. It is a futuristic tale of Space Mounties and Peace Troopers battling the rise of a tyrant bent on universal domination. At the heart of it all is a seemingly insignificant little robot who dreams of cooking and one day hopes to be good enough to compete on "Titanium Chef". This is a point-and-click adventure filled with great humour, puzzles, and sophisticated gameplay. A circular action menu allows you to interact with objects through a number of different titles and yes, you do get to cook, and yes it often wins the day. Free, you'll need to register for an account to save your game.  [More]

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September 29, 2009 10:51  by Kris Abel

Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft will be releasing a new anti-virus suite today called Microsoft Security Essentials that is free for download. In addition to providing protection against viruses, malware, spyware, and other malicious threats, the new software is also designed as a specific response against the growing complaints by consumers regarding the confusion and complexity of anti-virus software in general. The suite promises to run quietly in the background while limiting CPU and memory usage, the kind of actions that lead to computers slowing down in performance. The software will also use a new feature to make sure it is constantly updated with the latest virus definitions without having to wait for a specific scheduled appointment. When the software becomes available, you should find it at Microsoft.com/security_essentials/. I will be posting a review soon.

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September 29, 2009 09:43  by Kris Abel

Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle

Shipping to stores today, Microsoft has created a new bundle that includes an Xbox 360 Elite (the one with a 120 GB hard drive) with two games; LEGO Batman: The Video Game and quad bike racer Pure for $299 CND.. For those who already have an Xbox 360, there's a second bundle launching in November that includes a black wireless controller and four Xbox Live Arcade games; Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines Live!, Bomberman Live! and Ms Pac-Man for $69.99 CND.  

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September 29, 2009 08:46  by Kris Abel

X08Game designers from across North America are gathering here in Toronto today for X'09, Microsoft's annual Xbox 360 preview event. I'll be spending today looking at the hottest games coming this holiday season from a number of top publishers, including Activision, UbiSoft, and Electronic Arts, plus I'll be given a look at the next set of changes for Microsoft's Xbox Live online service. While I will post details here on my blog after the showcase wraps up, I will also be sending out pictures and quick tidbits over my Twitter account here.  [More]

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September 29, 2009 08:39  by Kris Abel
Simon Tofield returns with another outrageous adventure in his animated cat series. This time his cat discovers a new use for his work table. Since exploding in popularity online, Simon's Cat has launched an official website and the cat itself now has its own Twitter account with hilarious updates.

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September 28, 2009 09:41  by Kris Abel

PSPgoPerhaps one of Sony’s best designed devices, the PSPgo is lightweight, compact, very stylish, and rests comfortably in your hands where the controls are finally where they should be – below the screen. Sliding the display upwards reveals them elegantly recessed into the bottom half. All black and accented by two metallic rings, the control panel feels grown-up, like a Bond gadget, leaving behind the durable toy esthetic that most game machines seem to have. [More]

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